




Coffee
Is on my mind.
A smooth yet robust roast:
Tantalizing aroma and
Rich taste.
I must
Now brew a pot —
Enough to share with friends.
A treat this special deserves to
Be shared.
This short podcast is the trailer/intro for my newest series of podcast episodes coming soon. I’m posting it today as an experiment to make sure all parts of my theme are cooperating with me on this venture. It will be about another week before I start publishing regular episodes, but I’ll be sure and let you know so that you can listen from here or from other major podcast venues.
PLEASE HELP: I’ve set a picture for this post for now, but I’m having trouble deciding which picture to use for my cover art for the podcast when it appears on other venues. Would you be so kind as to drop down to the “Comment” section and let me know which of the pictures you think would be best. You can choose from the one I’ve set as the temporary image above, or any one of these others I’ve inserted below this paragraph. Thanks a lot for your help.
What? You don’t think I’m serious about this recipe? Well, I assure you that I am. In fact, I’ve been writing — very successfully, I might add — for many years now using these ingredients on a regular basis. I originally posted the recipe about five years ago, but when I revisited the article recently and thought it over, I realized that I’m even more convinced of its effectiveness now than I was then. So I’m re-posting it just for the fun of it.
1. A Quiet Corner:
I must have quiet when I’m creating. If I’m simply relaxing — or doing housework — or eating — I often enjoy listening to music, a TV program, or a lesson on a subject that interests me. But if I am intent on creating something with words, I do not want any conversation or music whirling around me. I want to be closed into my own private world — just me and my words — until I have received conception of and given birth to that brand new entity that has been waiting on me to bring it into the world. So this ingredient is a must.
2. A Cup of Coffee — or Two:
My, there’s just nothing that quite equals the soothing, uplifting aroma of fresh-brewed coffee. And I’m tired of hearing all the uninformed critics out there who try to make coffee drinkers feel guilty because there is an element of caffeine in coffee. I have always maintained that, since the Lord told us in Genesis that He made the seed-bearing trees and plants for us to eat, then we should be able to partake of coffee with a clear conscience and a happy heart. And let’s not forget that God made the coffee bean with the caffeine in it.
Furthermore, there have been numerous medical and scientific experiments done over the past half dozen years that prove coffee has many beneficial qualities for the human body — everything from quickening our brain function to eliminating headaches as quickly as aspirin to protecting the body against several kinds of cancer and heart problems. Naturally, nothing is good for our bodies if we partake of too much of it, to the exclusion of other important elements. But in moderation, coffee is a great blessing. And considering the fact that, in my family, a good cup of coffee has always been associated with family togetherness, wonderful fellowship, and comforting relaxation, coffee is, for sure, a substantial ingredient in my recipe.
3. Chocolate:
As with coffee, the medical field has grown in its understanding over the past decade concerning chocolate. Researchers in the field have learned that chocolate has many helpful — and healthful — benefits for our bodies. Again, we remember that everything we ingest is most helpful when taken in moderation. But there’s one more quality associated with chocolate that we must add to our evaluation of it. We need to consider the connotations associated with that delicious treat — you know: mother’s love, romantic love, comfort, and a little extra surge of energy. Now, given all those positives, how could I possibly leave chocolate out of my recipe?
Combine all ingredients in whatever ratios make you happy.
So there you have it folks. There’s just no other recipe quite so perfect for the dedicated, committed creative writer. And if you haven’t yet used this particular recipe, give it a try the next time you sit down to write. Your masterpiece may be just a quiet corner, a cup of coffee, and a chocolate bar away.
~~~
Okay! We’re finishing up the first full month of 2021 on a great note: with coffee and cinquain. What better combination is there?
(Well …. maybe coffee and chocolate … but we’ll do that again later.)
I admit that for this Day 2 cinquain I did not use the actual word coffee. But I stand by the poem as indicative of the allure and satisfaction that only coffee can bring. 🙂
I decided it’s time I wrote about coffee again, and I like to challenge myself to write about a common topic in an uncommon way. So I’ve decided to close out January with a 3-day challenge to myself to write a brand new coffee cinquain for the last 3 days of the month. And if any of my viewers would like to join the challenge, you are very welcome to do so. Just write your own coffee cinquain on your own site and hop over here and put the link to it in the Comment Window below. If you’re not familiar with cinquain, you can find an explanation on my poetry site at this link: Ahyoka/Cinquain.
So let’s get started with Day 1’s poem.
My day
Is starting right:
My coffee’s black and hot,
My cup entwined in happy leaves.
Content.
Politics ruffle my soul.
The worst of most people they show.
But when I get stressed and uptight,
I know what will make it quite right:
Please give me Coffee!
I need to lean back and breathe slow.
For Presidents will come and go.
Some are corrupt and hell-bent.
I’ll pray they’re removed, but ’til then,
Please give me Coffee!
I look back on hist’ry; alas:
We should have learned more from the past.
But I haven’t given up hope.
So with four years of crap I can cope
If I have LOTS OF COFFEE!!!!!!!!
It just wouldn’t be right if I didn’t celebrate the new year with a coffee post. And, then, since chocolate runs a very, very close second to coffee as my favorite treat, I figured I should include both. So I decided I’d stay in my limerick vein another day, and this is what I came up with.
UNIVERSAL ANTIDOTE
Coffee makes everything better.
If I’m battling inclement weather,
Or I’m dealing with stress,
Or my love life’s a mess,
I grab coffee and chocolate together.
The aroma of both is so soothing —
All my distraught emotions quite smoothing.
As they alter my brain,
My good mood I regain,
And the whole world commences improving.
I had a few minutes this afternoon — mainly because I’m putting off getting started on my laundry and dishes — but nevertheless — I thought I’d use those minutes to join in Trent’s “Weekly Smile” fun.
I had a fairly troubling week, but I did smile at least once each day because I had decided to do a series of coffee posts last week. Now, anyone who visits my site very often knows how much I love coffee, and since I decided to challenge myself to post a brand new coffee poem every day for seven days — along with lovely photos of the beverage — I had something to smile about each day. And I did smile as I wrote each poem.
Frankly, I consider seven smiles in one week a very successful week. So let’s hear it for the happy beverage that sparked my grinner. Yay Coffee!!!
Well, here we are at day 7 of this series already. This poem will finish up our little coffee adventure. Hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have. And today I’ve chosen to use Cinquain — one of my favorite poetic forms — to render my coffee thoughts.
DELIGHTFUL DRINK
Coffee:
Delightful drink.
Beverage of choice world-wide.
Stimulates yet comforts body
And soul.
CHOCOLATE’S BEST FRIEND
I have a stash of chocolate standing by.
I like to keep some extra when I can.
For when I’m feeling jittery or blue,
Chocolate is the most effective plan.
But chocolate works much better with a friend.
A cup of coffee sets it off just right.
Choc’late and coffee are a perfect blend,
Indulging both at once — a great delight!
So now I’m off to put the coffee on
And get out one of my favorite mugs.
Once it’s brewed I’ll curl up with my treats.
Coffee and choc’late are like a comfort hug.
THE HEALTHY BEVERAGE
Coffee’s good for many things, according to reports:
It stops a headache fast as any meds.
Science tells us that it can protect from heart disease
And certain kinds of cancer hold in check.
Neurologists have proven coffee quickens brain response
And stress and tension it can help release.
It’s nice to know my favorite bev’rage is so good for me.
I wonder how it works for soaking feet.